


Starcraft: Legacy of the Fallen

by defiasstone2



Category: StarCraft
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:26:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5170574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defiasstone2/pseuds/defiasstone2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the dust of Arcturus Mengsk's defeat reverberate around the Dominon, the Protoss have their eyes focused instead on a prize of their own, their homeworld Aiur. As the largest force since the defeat of the Overmind gathers to retake their homeworld, they are unwilling to hear of the greater threat, poised to throw the galaxy into eternal darkness... Sequel to The Queen of Hearts</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Zeratul rested fitfully, not that such a thing was new to him or his few remaining Dark Templar crew of the  _Void Seeker_ , the memories imparted to him by the Overmind still shifted in the back of his mind. Memories of a future that he had imparted to both Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan, both of whom had been key in preparing their respective races for the war to come, a war that would almost certainly end in destruction and darkness.

The death of his race was the reason why he had hunted in near solitude for these past two years, trying to find any hint of the Xel'naga or the last fragments of the prophecy that would spell the galaxy's doom, the beast that plagued his nightmares still as dangerous even now...

_*Flashback*_

_The last stand of the Protoss, more than a hundred thousand of his kind, lay scattered and desolate amongst the piles of corpses that remained. Zeratul despaired at the loss of so many, but he had braced himself for it long before now, the death of Kerrigan on Char the final step the great enemy needed to begin his final march of devastation. He had been struck low by a Hybrid in the final climax of the battle, the great Artanis himself falling under the weight of Hybrids and Zerg that the enemy can and did throw at them, but whether by luck or cruel design the wound was crippling but not fatal._

" _ **So you realise this is not the end of your torment little nuisance, it is good that you anticipate your final oblivion insect... That will make denying you it all the sweeter..."**_   _The voice filled his head with a dread that far eclipsed anything Zeratul had felt before, the vibrations through the floor heralding the approach of his foe._

_As cowardly as the action may seem, Zeratul struggled with all his might to activate his psy blade one last time, the blade spluttering and hissing for a moment before igniting. If he wasn't likely the last remaining Protoss Zeratul may have tried to fell the abomination, but such an act would merely amuse the beast and allow it a final victory._

" _Amon..." Speaking the things name calmed his mind, Zeratul never more determined to deny the beast with his strike, he would not give Amon the satisfaction of capturing him. The blade stabbed inwards, but Zeratul didn't feel the burning release that would free his soul unto the void._

" _ **Foolish pest, after your numerous attempts to irritate me by trying to save this retched galaxy, did you think that I would let you escape so easily?"**_   _Power, far greater than he had ever felt before, froze his body in place as his psi-blade flickered out inches from his chest._

" _ **You think that the pain you feel for your fallen race is enough? The truth, that you have failed in your task, is soul destroying enough to please me?"**_   _Amon towered over him, and Zeratul felt the dark grip of terror upon him as Amon looked down upon him, a dark grin on his face as he raised one of his arms._

" _ **Your torment will be centuries in the making insect, no matter how much you plead for death it will not come... Only when I bore of my vengeance, your cries more irritating that your pain amusing, will you have my permission to die..."**_

_*Flashback End*_

It was always at this moment that Zeratul awoke, the terror in his heart still present even after the return of Kerrigan to the head of the swarm, which given the promise of pain that awaited him if the dream continued was most definitely a good thing. He hadn't shown either Jim Raynor or Kerrigan this particular vision, primarily because he wasn't entirely sure that it was a vision, it had only appeared in his dreams when Kerrigan was purified on Char.

Had he somehow inherited some of the Overmind's ability to glean the future when he interacted with it upon Aiur? Did it mean that all of his attempts to change the future had meant nothing? Or had Amon finally noticed his interference, and this was the Fallen Xel'Naga's first step into trying to break him psychologically?

It didn't matter which it was, either it meant he needed to work harder to thwart the dark being or Amon was actually getting irritated with his actions, both possibilities only pushed him further upon the path he had placed himself upon so many years before.

"Prince Zeratul, we have a message from a Praetor Talis, she seems to be attacking the Moebius facility that we intended to find." Quite fortuitous for him then, given what he and his crew had encountered at other Moebius facilities, the extra manpower would be helpful if nothing else.

"Thank you brother, I am on my way." Due to the Void Seekers small size, it did not take more than a minute for Zeratul to traverse the path to the bridge, greeting the half a dozen dark templar who were the last of his true allies along the way.

"I have the helm, put the Praetor on screen." A few seconds later a young Protoss female appeared on the screen in front of him, her face lighting up in admiration and awe as she bowed slightly to him.

"Zeratul, it is a great honour. I am Praetor Talis, and I humbly request your aid..."

**A/N: A little teaser chapter, to set me up in case the storyline in LOV disappoints as much as the HOTS did. I've made a couple of minor changes, primarily not having Zeratul travel around on his own, which makes sense given he would need some allies given the number of fights he gets himself into.**

**Secondly, and this will only be a change if they don't do this in LOV, the visions that Zeratul receives from the Overmind are not finished. Either that or Amon is torturing for his efforts, take your pick, I sure as hell haven't decided yet.**

**Suitably dark opening? I wanted to make it clear that annihilation isn't the worst fate that awaits Amon's enemies if he fails, the dark god will have a lot of time on his hands if he succeeds...**

**Let me know what you think guys, this might change depending on the LOV storyline but unless you guys tell me it is terrible I doubt it...**


	2. Chapter 2

Jim Raynor had definitely been in less comfortable positions as he woke than he was in now, arms entwined around the sleeping figure next to him, in one of the most luxurious beds in the new Dominion. The semi hazy awareness of his morning was broken by the now familiar feeling of a telepathic voice speaking in his head,

 

“Enjoying yourself this morning my love? She certainly seemed to enjoy herself last night...” Sarah’s voice made him smile even as he sat up in his bed, looking down on the sleeping form of Ariel Hanson who snuggled against his chest in her sleep.

 

“The fact you managed to get her to drunkenly make out with your psionic projection definitely gave me a good idea as to why you insisted I buy her dinner. What I don't get is why... You bored of me all ready darlin’?” Kerrigan’s laugh made him smile as it always did, though he could tell she had her usual superior smirk on her face as she replied.

 

“Never thought you'd get upset at me encouraging another woman to sleep with you Jim, I can read the thoughts in your head remember? Besides, Ariel has hardly been subtle in her interest in you, and with Felicity and I on the other side of the Galaxy...” It was of the few downsides of their new situation, with Jim and his Raiders on Horizon converting it to a true Terran stronghold and home base whilst Kerrigan and her swarm striking out at every lead they had on Amon and his minions, they had only seen each other in person twice since about a month after taking down Mengsk.

 

“I would have waited darlin, even Felicity believes that now...” There was a deeper chuckle in his head and Jim realised that Kerrigan wasn't the only one making the trip today.

 

“Of course you would have, but I think Sarah has built up quite the appetite now, so you'd best get some more practice in before we get back... I must admit though, I thought the good Dr looked sexy in that lab coat, I didn't think she would look even better without it...” There was a chuckle from Kerrigan before he felt Felicity be... Removed from his head once more.

 

“It was actually mostly her idea, and I think you can tell she didn't have anything but selfish interests in mind...” Jim didn't mind, what hot blooded man would? Instead he focussed on the important part of Felicity’s comment.

 

“You’re coming back soon? Is everything okay? I thought you were going to be busy taking control of that Moebius facility?”

 

“Everything is fine Jim, we are just following our mutual Prince of darkness to what I hope is another of Amon’s bases, though with the little deception we just pulled he will probably be a little cautious of me... We will talk later, for now you have a doctor to nurse through what will probably be quite the hangover...” Jim looked down to see Ariel Hanson looking up at him with a mixture of ‘deer in headlights’ and irritation, probably at her hangover, making Jim wonder how much she actually remembered of last night.

 

“Was that Kerrigan?” There was a cautious undertone to Ariel’s normally confident voice, as she seemed ready to bolt at the slightest hint that his other half turned god was angry at what happened, which given what Sarah was capable of doing without feeling even slightly angry was probably a good idea.

 

“It was, though she’s more at ease with all of this than I am, so I wouldn’t worry about vengeful Zerg Ariel. Though given what she has said, I think we need to have a talk about where we go from here...” Jim wished he could say that this was the first time he had been forced to have this kind of awkward morning talk, but waking up with Felicity in his arms after Sarah had taken them out drinking had definitely been first and far more awkward, the medic far still far less comfortable with him than she was with Sarah.

 

An hour later they were both dressed and eating breakfast in the Hyperion’s canteen, studiously ignoring the whistles and muttered conversations that had arisen when they walked in together. The two talked about the usual things, after spending almost a year together they knew each other fairly well to begin with, only disturbed with the arrival of Matt Horner at the canteen entrance.

 

“Jim, Dr Hanson, the others have just arrived and will be in the war room shortly.” Jim nodded and the two quickly followed Matt towards the large meeting room that was one of the many extensions added to the Hyperion over the last year.

 

“Lassara and the others make it back okay? Given the reports of increased Protoss ship activity above Aiur I had my concerns...” Matt nodded and Jim couldn’t help but breath a small sigh of relief,  they had received numerous reports that indicated the Protoss were building up forces to try and retake Aiur, and Lassara along with the other ‘renegade’ Protoss were definitely high up on the Protoss list of grievances regarding the Terran Dominion at the moment.

 

“They made it back okay, though they did have Protoss ships fire warning shots at them as they left. I think the Protoss thought it was just a recon mission, rather than a retrieval mission, otherwise things would have gotten a lot more dicey...” Whilst Kerrigan had pulled back all of her Zerg forces in the aftermath of Mengsk’s fall, Jim had kept a cadre of his best raiders on Aiur to support the native Protoss forces Kerrigan had found there, both as a show of support and also to offer protection to his research team.

 

“That is good news, though I look forward to reviewing their data, given your concerns Jim it would be best if we were able to warn the Protoss before they attacked the planet.” Ariel’s comment was spoken as they entered the war room, prompting a snort from the far corner.

 

“Not much chance of that happening sweetheart, it looked like the whole god damn Protoss fleet warping in as we left orbit, that grumpy executor who tried to burn the hell out of this place was in charge...” Executor Selendis then, definitely one of the more volatile Protoss Jim had ever had the pleasure of meeting, and one that was still probably smarting from his backing of Kerrigan during Zurvan’s reappearance.

 

“Not exactly surprising, Executor Selendis is probably the most honoured templar behind Hierarch Artanis himself, she certainly has his ear on many matters related to the military. She has probably been sent ahead to secure drop zones for the main invasion force when it arrives, and she will definitely take advantage of the area we had cleared on the surface to do so, no matter how much she decries us as traitors an advantage is an advantage...” Out of all of his new raider forces, which included Tosh and Nova’s forces along with a squad of Sarah’s Blades, Lassara and the few Protoss that still followed her probably had changed the most.

 

Gone were the nerve cords that connected every Protoss to the Khala, a necessary sacrifice made when the first Templar death squads appeared to hunt down ‘the traitors that defile the Templar way by working with humans.’ The loss of their connection had clearly hurt the formerly reclusive scientist, though Jim thought it probably did some emotional good in the long term as Lassara became much more active in her socialising with other members of his group.

 

“Are you okay Lassara? I can understand if you are not given the woman ordered your death...” Lassara shrugged in a nonchalant manner that would have never fitted her mannerisms before joining up with Sarah, his other half probably needed to know quite how much of her personality was rubbing off on her former command.

 

“She can try and have me killed, but if Dr Hanson can stand her being discussed after the good executor tried to burn this planet to ash, I really don't think I can claim the greatest slight against the woman in this room...” A good point and one Jim hadn't considered, but as Ariel spoke up straight away without obvious distress he didn't even look to check if she was okay, if she was anything like Kerrigan he would be glared at for thinking her weak.

 

“That’s not entirely true Lassara, after all with Haven it was just business for her, with you she made the hunt very personal. But I imagine you are as unwilling to talk about this now as I am, so shall we move onto what you found?” The shifting of subject seemed to provide Lassara some relief, captain Ryker taking the opportunity to start her report.

 

“The Rifled Stockade supported the research teams for 6 months along with 3 mixed battle formations of Raiders and associated non-Terran support. Initially Feral Zerg attacks were uncoordinated and sparse, growing over time in both size and complexity of strategy. Casualties were almost 30% by the time the Protoss fleet arrival necessitated our withdrawal, I predict we would have been forced to leave planetside within the week regardless of Protoss arrival, the zerg were very clearly determined to get rid of us.” Which spoke of a greater mind than the odd Queen who is able to exert dominance over a small part of that writhing mass that the Aiur Zerg were now, which was something he and Sarah had concerns about in the first place.

 

“Any indications that there may be Hybrid presence on Aiur?” Captain Ryker gestured off to her left in response, allowing Nova to step forward and answer the question.

 

“No overt signs,though it was very clear that the Aiur Zerg were more content with us exploring some areas around our base than others. I lost two men when we tried to infiltrate deeper into their territory, the place was thick with Zerg and once they knew we were there they were relentless in their pursuit, if it hadn’t been for the Blades counter attack we would probably have lost considerably more. I think Amon has a presence on Aiur now, though how big or what it is is anyone’s guess, and he is quite determined to mask that from us until the time is right.” Probably right in the middle of the Protoss invasion to crush what he deems is his main enemy, a good plan and one that Jim and those around him could do little about.

 

“Which means that he is doing exactly what we want him to do, Sarah is keeping his attention on her and the Swarm for now, so his focus is on Aiur and on the Swarm. The bastard won’t be expecting a curve ball from left field when we unleash some of our new toys upon him...” When you know what you are going to face and the enemy provides you with ample opportunities to take their measure, it should be little surprise for Jim to take advantage and come up with anti-hybrid tactics and weapons, but maybe it was just him that thought that...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, thought a little more Jim couldn't go amiss, though I'm sure some of you will take issue with what Kerrigan has been up to. This is, in my head, one of the only ways that a harem style relationship can work. Let me know whether or not you agree and we can go from there. I also like the idea of Jim and the Raiders actually working to prepare for Amon’s attack, even with it just being a year it is better than nothing.
> 
>  
> 
> Now, time for a little audience participation. Praetor Talis, should I let her live or not? If you do want me to save her I will write her rescue in, otherwise I will move onto the pivotal point in this fic, the invasion of Aiur!


	3. The Brooding Swarm

"Go prelate! My forces and I will hold off Amon's forces for as long as we can, khala willing it will be long enough for you to reach Aiur and give them a warning of what is to come." The moment Zeratul had headed into the dark tomb on this dying world Talis had known that this was the end for her and her followers, such was the fate of those that aided great heroes like Zeratul against the enemies of the Protoss, but even as she blasted away another one of Amon's shade like summons there was no welling of fear or regret.

"Thank you Praetor, I can only hope we are not too late... Hierarch watch over you, and I am sorry it has come to this." The _Void Seeker_ was already prepared, Zeratul's crew bolstered by half a dozen of her most talented Zealots to aid him in the fight upon Aiur, which she could only imagine would be as deadly a fight as any they had been through thus far.

"Praetor, the death fleet is here and are slaughtering our forces... Wait, are those Zerg signatures?" Raising her weapon defiantly even as the _Void Seeker_ successfully warped out, Talis couldn't help the feeling of frustration that filled her mind, were the Tal'darim and the Hybrid not enough enemies for Amon to crush her few remaining forces with?

" _No need to sound so ungrateful Praetor, I could almost think that you are holding my actions on the Mobieus Station against me..."_ The deep and playful tone of the voice in her head made Talis cautiously hopeful, something she thought the arrival of the Queen of Blades would never herald, but given the forces arrayed against them Talis doubted that even the weight of the Zerg might not be enough to swing the battle in their favour.

" _You will excuse me for being a little cautious of you Kerrigan, you did threaten to rip any Protoss that got in your way in twain after all..."_ Despite the urge to refer to her by the title most of the Protoss still used, Talis was not stupid and had observed Zeratul's interactions with Kerrigan whilst she had torn her way through the Moebius station, calling her by her Queen of Blades title would probably mean a lot of pain and possible abandonment to her foes.

" _So you Protoss can learn, I thought Lassara was one of the odd few in that regard. And we are not going to fight here, there is too much at stake for me to risk the bulk of my forces on such a strategically pointless world. Once my forces have punched a hole in their air defences I will have transports come and pick you up, then you can enjoy my hospitality before we return to Aiur..."_ Not exactly a heartwarming offer, but as another hybrid buffeted it's way through the fire of her stalkers with a deep roar, Talis decided not to be picky about the choice between rescue and annihilation.

"Carriers, void rays, clear a path to the Zerg fleet! Zealots, hold the line with the immortals until we are able to extract, Stalkers will support against the Hybrid until then!" It would be close, between Kerrigan breaking through and Amon's forces breaking through her lines, but they were Protoss.

To succumb to something as insignificant as overwhelming odds would be dishonourable...

!"£$%^&*()_+

The psionic manifestation of Amon, for the short period the portal into the void could sustain itself until it collapsed and shattered the continent on the almost dead world it was based upon, made it very clear to Sarah that she still had a long way to go until she would be capable of matching his power for even a short confrontation. It had been... distracting to fight with such a poignant psionic presence constantly weighing down on her mind, but that didn't stop her unleashing the Swarm's vengeance on the gathered Tal'darim forces and accompanying Hybrid.

"General, we took 10% losses of this fleet's forces in the extraction of the Protoss loyalists, about 2,000 of them are currently being held on this leviathan until you find time to speak with them while the remainder of their fleet have congregated to the left flank of our fleet." Her Zerg commanders response was better than she had expected, though the presence of her blades and her own still growing abilities had probably helped counteract the overwhelming individual strength of the Hybrid, that and after punching a hole in their air defences they had primarily played a defensive battle whilst the Protoss forces escaped or embarked.

"The Rifles fared much better, only 200 casualties and most of them are treatable, but that was probably because of our Zerg forces taking the brunt of the close combat roles." Looking up from her bed at her two sub-commanders for this fleet, Kerrigan couldn't help but marvel at the changes that had occurred to the two of them over the last year.

Felicity was loosely stood to attention by the 'door' to the small section of the Leviathan that was reserved as Kerrigan's private quarters, her former medic armour gone and replaced with compacted Firebat armour that Jim and his raiders had been working on over the last year. Whilst not quite as durable as the bulky exo-suits that gave the Firebats their vaunted survivability in close quarters, the upgrade was a significant improvement on basic Dominion marine armour in terms of damage absorption without sacrificing their mobility.

Her lover had toned up even further than what had been classed as 'combat ready' on Char under General Warfield, though that may have been helped by a few very minor genetic 'tweaks' that most of the Rifles had now undergone. The upgrades moved every single one of her soldiers into the upper end of human physical capability, improving endurance, muscle and bone density to name a few. It would probably have been frowned on in 'civilised' society, but each and every one of her men knew the threat facing them and had agreed to the changes, the few that hadn't still able to support in non-combat roles the Rifles required.

"Good, any bad reactions to the modifications or feedback regarding the new weapon upgrades the Raiders sent us through on the last shipment? From what I have heard the armour has been more than worth the price, but Hanson and the others always want to see if they can improve further." They had deliberately set up their method of operations this way, so that the new weapons would only make Amon consider her more of a threat rather than Jim and the others, and so that unless Amon had a spy amongst her inner Circle or the higher ups of the Raiders he would have no idea how well developed these new pieces of tech were.

"Two bad reactions, though both were with the newest recruits who had only just come off the holding period for monitoring their changes, so not a big concern. The main concern about the armour is the weakness of the elbow joints once the armour has taken damage, had more than one marine out there nearly let down by his armour as the bloody joints freeze up if they use the combat shield to block a psy blade, but given the fact that the original armour wouldn't have taken more than one hit from a zealot I suppose we have to look at the upside in this case that at least the marines are here to complain about the problems." Despite her 'close' relationship with Sarah for a year Felicity had managed to maintain most of her positive personality, but it was clear that she was picking up some of Sarah's bad habits even outside of their personal relationship.

"I will feed it back the next time I speak to Jim, though I imagine given Amon's presence there the time for preparations is rapidly coming to a close. Anything you wish to add Izsha?" Looking over to where the formerly Leviathan bound advisor was currently meditating in the middle of her room like it was perfectly normal after giving her initial report, Kerrigan waited patiently for Izsha to notice the sensory input to one of her 'bodies'.

When Kerrigan had finished with Mengsk she had some time before she had to prepare for the fight against Amon, and one of the first things she did was what she had promised herself back on Zerus, getting Abathur to deintegrate Izsha from her command leviathan and to allow the formerly shipbound Zerg the chance to experience the galaxy through her own eyes.

One of the three pairs of eyes that now dominated the upper part of Izsha's face opened slowly, fixing themselves instantly on Sarah and causing the body to jerk into life once more. Despite being de-integrated from the Leviathan Izsha had chosen to maintain a predominantly snake-like appearance, her lower body now a scaly smooth tail-like appendage that was frighteningly strong in it's constricting power, the eyes an unintentional effect of the de-integration that Izsha had become fascinated with and insisted that her other bodies gain the same number of visual organs.

"The other fleets are mostly performing well, though as you suspected even before the fall of Mengsk, Az'Kadar has fallen under the sway of Amon, De'haka and the primal Zerg have encountered multiple Hybrid over the last two weeks which has prevented them from making progress into her main stronghold on Mar Sara. He still refuses to ask for aid, but if the growing number of Hybrid are an indication, Amon wishes to make a statement with victory over our forces there and will be intensifying his attacks once he truly reveals himself." Izsha had become a true communications expert of the swarm, possessing half a dozen cloned bodies amongst the different parts of the swarm through which she could transfer her consciousness, allowing her to act as Sarah's messenger and tactical relay in a way that her previous integration never allowed.

"Az'Kadar is not the only one to have fallen to Amon, and I doubt she will be the last we have to deal with before this is through. Nafash and her brood can head to Mar Sara when they are done dealing with the last of the Moebius bases our data gathering uncovered, whilst De'haka is too much of an idiot to ask for help until it is too late I would prefer to remove some of Amon's forces from play as quickly as possible. Now, I suppose I should be a good host and go meet this Praetor Talis in person, as long as she doesn't try and kill me as most of the Protoss do when I save them I am sure we will get along just fine..."

Sarah's annoyance only rose as both Felicity and Izsha rolled their eyes at her sarcasm, well Izsha merely shot her a look given her new eyes didn't have pupils but it had the same effect, before Felicity chuckled and gestured out of the door.

"Well then, I better come to, give the Protoss a friendly face to go with the god-like being that they last remember trying to wipe their kind off of a Moebius station..." Kerrigan smirked but didn't dispute the point, it wasn't her fault she had still been a little pissed at Zeratul for running off on them after Zerus, if she had actually _wanted_ the Protoss wiped off that station it would not have taken much effort whatsoever.

"If I may accompany you General, I believe it would be beneficial for me to interact more with the Protoss off the battlefield if we are to work together against Amon..." Izsha's point was a logical one, and given the amount of time she and Felicity had spent alone during the first couple of months into this 'war' whenever not required for a mission it would probably do some good to socialise with her other generals.

Maybe she could even teach Izsha what socialising actually meant, given the serpent thought based her actions off what she, Felicity and Jim did it would be best to ensure the corrections were in place before she let the snake woman go off on her own again...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi Guys! Sorry for the delay, but once I had actually put the initial part of this story to paper it didn't garner quite the popular reaction I thought it would have, so I got distracted by other projects.
> 
> But, as those of you who have read my other fics know I do not give up the first time I hit a wall, so here is my attempt to get the creative juices flowing once more in regards to this story.
> 
> I will be attempting to do these small but regular updates from now on, but with X-Com 2 out amongst other things I make no promises on the timing of the next chapter, which will of course be the fateful fight between Artanis and Zeratul... I would ask for audience opinion on whether Zeratul living or dying, but I think his death is probably one of the few plot things that was well done in LotV, so unless someone can give me a very compelling reason why I should save him, I will carry on mostly as canon for that one scene.


	4. The meeting of the minds

The grand reclamation of Aiur, purported by many of the Templar as the start of a second Protoss golden age, waged below them as the _Void seeker_ warped into the planet's outer atmosphere. It was clear that the fighting that could be seen in small pockets was only the clearing forces, with the Golden Armada in orbit the fighting would easily cover half the planet once the actual invasion began.

"So many Templar... How can Amon think to strike against us here? Surely even one as mighty as the Dark one of legend would fall beneath such might..." The zealot's words seemed to be as much an effort to convince himself of his idea as it was to broach the idea to Zeratul, who looked down upon the planet of his exiled ancestors and couldn't help but feel that the Templars numbers here were _exactly_ why it made such an opportune target for the Dark One.

"Get us close to the capitol ship and I will get aboard, I must speak with the Hierarch in person and convince him of this threat. Even if Aiur isn't the trap I think it might be, the losses we suffer taking it will only make Amon's task all the easier when he does strike." This assumed he wasn't going to be impaled upon sight once aboard his old student's flagship, given his links to Kerrigan and her small but significant cadre of 'traitors' he was not exactly welcome amongst the Protoss high command even with the actions of the war against the Overmind being in his favour.

Still, Zeratul had always been one to take risks in the name of the faceless billions his work had thus far saved, if this was to be his prophesied fate then he would be most disappointed. At least the heroic last stand against the dark one had been suitably climactic even if it was the exact opposite of the path he wished to travel, execution as a traitor just didn't have the same mystique to it.

"Prelate, we are in position, are you okay?" Breaking from the slightly foreign thoughts that reminded him far too much of Jim for him to be entirely comfortable, Zeratul nodded in what he knew would seem a calm and aloof manner.

"I am, just centering myself for the challenges ahead. Once I have spoken to the Hierarch be ready to land, though I want the ship airborne again as soon as possible afterwards." With his senses and his mind telling him it was a trap, Zeratul didn't want to fall for the same mistake he had when he had been chasing the prophecy, the _Void Seeker_ could take valuable minutes to become airborne from being properly docked and that was time they potentially didn't have.

"Understood Prelate, En Taro Tassadar!" And with a nod that conveyed far more confidence than he actually felt, Zeratul shadow jumped to where he could feel Artanis' presence, the cold of the Void almost a welcoming feeling after their exertions against Amon mere hours ago.

One of the peculiarities of travelling through the shadows was that it made the traveller aware of what was happening at both his jump point and his destination in the time it took for the traveller to arrive, which meant he could hear Artanis speaking to the gathered Protoss Templar before a far more dangerous voice spoke.

"The invasion fleet stands ready Hierarch, some of our advance forces have taken ground occupied by the Terran scavengers we drove off on our arrival, we await only your command Hierarch." Her words showed Selendis to be exactly who Zeratul had always known she had been, as Jim's forces on the planet and their mission had been known to the Protoss for almost a year, Selendis' conservative outlook on non-Protoss as well as the string of defeats she had suffered against the Raiders and Kerrigan meaning she was one of the most vocal opponents to inter-species co-operation.

Exactly not what they needed when they were on the verge of a war to end all life in the galaxy, but Zeratul had to work with what he had, and what he had right now was Artanis' faith in his judgement which thankfully remained strong even through the aftermath of Kerrigan's return.

"You must halt this invasion at once." The more powerful the Dark templar and the further distance they had to travel were both factors in determining how they appeared after shadow travelling, and Zeratul knew from Jim's and Kerrigan's memories that his appearance method was, to quote the ex-marshall, 'Badass'.

"Zeratul..." Artanis' whisper was a far cry from the other Templars reactions, Selendis acting on instinct as she whirled to face him, psy blades igniting even as she spoke with the distaste that only came with those who were ' _righteous'_.

"Traitor! Templar, seize him!" Even as the zealots that made up the hierarch's honour guard ignited their psy blades and arrayed themselves around him threateningly, Zeratul couldn't help but scoff slightly at the so-called 'threat', he had faced down the Queen of Blades at the height of her power and come out of it in one piece after all.

The first zealot threw himself forwards with the sort of cockiness that belied his arrogance in his ascension to the detail, blades aimed at merely incapacitating Zeratul rather than crippling or killing him. Zeratul waited with the long suffering patience of someone who had been attacked by his larger and far more emotional brethren one too many times.

"Overextension and overconfidence, your form is correct but these weaken your ability..." The repeated attempts on his life had become something of a training exercise for Zeratul, even as his hand lashed out like a snake and grabbed the inside of the Zealot's arm, using the bigger Protoss' momentum to send him flying into a group of the zealots stacked up behind him.

"Your attacks lack strategy..." Blinking above a psy-blade strike aimed for his head, Zeratul utilised some of the 'martial arts' memories he had picked up from melding his mind with Kerrigan's to swing his leg around to kick the zealot who had attacked him in the face, landing in a crouch and spinning in a rapid circle to trip two more of the zealots who were too slow to dodge backwards.

"Enough!" The shout from Artanis came as Zeratul stood in an overly relaxed manner, obviously his student had decided that he wanted his guards somewhat combat capable after their conversation, perhaps out of a slight sense of compassion from his memories of training with Zeratul.

"We will hear him out, and I will not have in-fighting on my ship!" Despite the call from their Hierarch, several of the Zealots only lowered their psy-blades rather than deactivated them, obviously the unity of the High Templar to their somewhat still young leader was not as resolute as they would like to project it to the rest of the sector.

"Glad to see you reined your attack dogs in Artanis, the situation is too serious for me to waste time with training these amateurs..." Despite himself Zeratul couldn't resist the unsubtle attack on the Zealot guards honour, though if he had been a true threat to their lord then he could only be glad he had spent considerable time teaching Artanis in the ways of combat, Kerrigan wouldn't even break a sweat taking these glorified baby sitters down.

"Zeratul, this is not the time for past grudges, though you are correct that there is obviously some remedial training required for my guards I imagine that is not why you risked death coming here. I will hear you out, as I always will if you visit." Apart from the first part, the rest of Artanis' instructions were clearly aimed at the assembled Templar, a reprimand and a command without being overt about it.

Obviously becoming Hierarch had been good for Artanis, especially given that he would not have been so forceful with Zeratul prior to his ascension. Zeratul could only hope that his former students new position hadn't truly created a gulf in the bond they had once held with each other.

"The End war is upon us Artanis, I have seen Amon, he has returned..." The mention of the dark God, one who had long descended into children stories as opposed to the histories of their race, still brought gasps and muttering from the gathered Templar.

"Do not believe the words of this traitor Hierarch, remember this filth and his actions in the Overmind war caused us to have to abandon Aiur in the first place!" Zeratul had to resist the urge to physically flinch as his darkest moments were dragged out so casually to discredit him, but instead he merely gave her the same look he had seen Jim give some of his less experienced Raiders when they stepped out of line.

"This coming from the Executor that HAS gone to war with the human that the Hierarch has declared friend of the Protoss, who stood with Tassadar at the felling of the Overmind, not once but twice?" It was oddly satisfying to actually fight back in defence of his reputation for once, something he could attribute to Kerrigan's influence during their time fighting together recently, certainly Selendis' flinch and the narrowing of Artanis' eyes showed that these missions he had just brought up _definitely_ hadn't been sanctioned by the Hierarch either before or after they had happened.

"Given the result of those campaigns I could use your lack of tactical judgement as an indication that this invasion shouldn't go ahead, but this threat is far too serious for me to waste any more time on such trivial things..." With his most vocal critic silence for the moment, Zeratul returned his focus to Artanis even as the Hierarch seemed to come to a decision.

"Everyone, leave us!" If the order wasn't enough of an indication of how far Selendis had fallen with his revelations about her attacks on Raynor, the cold and commanding glance he cast her way when she tried to protest his order spoke volumes.

"We will speak of your actions later Executor, and I hope for your sake that these allegations are the most serious of incidents you have been hiding from me..." Zeratul couldn't help but be impressed as the Zealots warped out without further incident, though to Zeratul's surprise Selendis approached him and bowed her head in what was obviously meant to be an apologetic action.

"Dark Prelate, I-I apologise for my earlier words. You, you had a point about my... overzealousness and the fact I let it control my actions at times, something that Friend Raynor has pointed out to me after both of my defeats to him and the Q-Kerrigan." An admittance of her acts and what seemed to be a sincere apology to him?

It took some small effort not too laude what had obviously been a difficult admission over the often cocky Protoss commander's head, but he resisted the urge and instead used the opportunity to try and build some trust, in these dark times the chance to make another ally out of an opponent was something Zeratul couldn't ignore.

"All of us have things that we regret Executor, I especially have burdens that weigh upon me far more heavily than any disdain or hatred you could show me, which is why I have come now to try and prevent us from making a final mistake that will doom our kind forever. This invasion will merely consume our forces and make us weak and distracted for when Amon does strike, and given what I have seen that strike could be far sooner than even I predicted." Which was true, he had hoped that despite the signs the Dark God would be decades, if not centuries in the waking after they had dealt with Narud.

"You speak as if you have met the Dark God in the flesh old friend, and given what we know of his influence over Kerrigan and the other Zerg, surely Aiur would be far too useful a resource for us to leave uncontested for him to gather minions upon. I know of your protests to this invasion, even if the somewhat biased nature of my supporters has stopped you from approaching me directly before now, but to cancel the invasion now would not only risk the destabilisation of my power as Hierarch but also tip Amon's hand." Zeratul was surprised, both that Artanis was not listening to his advice, and that the Hierarch had offered a good counter argument against holding off the invasion.

"You think that Amon will use Aiur as a battleground against us? Surely if it is such a trap then springing it..." Zeratul paused as he pondered what Artanis was telling him, and judging by the surprise on Selendis' face this was the first time she had heard of Artanis' views on Amon's return as well.

"Is the best course of action in all but the worst case scenario, when you are fighting a vastly more powerful foe who is at best fighting you half-heartedly, even if you know what one of his moves is almost definitely going to be you don't reveal that information. Such an action would merely cause Amon to either try and overwhelm us with his power, or sink into the shadows and strike without warning. At least here the Golden Armada can keep his focus fixed on us whilst our allies prepare to aid us."

Zeratul couldn't help but nod appreciatively, as Selendis seemed torn between disappointment at being kept from the Hierarch's true motives for Aiur, and gratitude for Artanis' unspoken counteracting of her previous dismissal.

"It seems that my lessons and those of Tassadar did more than improve your ability on the battlefield Artanis, it seems that Amon's focus on me could well end up being his undoing..." Zeratul did not give praise often, merely succeeding on the battlefield was not an accolade, more of an expectation for him.

But, to be able to foresee Zeratul's own actions to strengthen the humans and Zerg and come up with a strategy to split the enemies focus so thoroughly was nothing short of tactical genius, especially as it had even fooled his own forces into believing they were doing this despite Zeratul's protests. If there were any of Amon's spies amongst the High Templar, then the information of the rift growing between the two of them would only make the dark God all the more overconfident.

"In which case your mind is set Hierarch, I can see there is nothing I can do to persuade you..." The change in tone caught Selendis by surprise, but Zeratul now knew his role at the end of this conversation and was merely shifting into his best acting in an attempt to sell the act that little but further.

Even as Artanis gave the signal for the other Protoss to return Zeratul was already searching with his psionics in order to find the _Void Seeker_ , it would do for his dramatic exit to be any less impressive than his entrance after all. More than a dozen Protoss warped straight back into the room, barely giving Zeratul time to begin shadow travelling before more of the, arrived.

"Very well Hierarch, but had better pray to that Khala of yours that I am wrong, otherwise the doom of our race will be on your hands..." And with that he found himself back on the _Void Seeker_ , already planning his next move based on his Hierarch's subtle instructions.

"Dark Prelate, how did the meeting go?" The zealot from before seemed surprised at the speed of his return,

"Get me a comm channel open to Friend Raynor, and then once the invasion has secured a beachhead get us down there, I will be resting until Jim is available..." For it was going to be a long day tomorrow, and Zeratul couldn't help but get the feeling that despite Artanis' confidence, something was going to go _very, very wrong..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When it gets to the point that I am being pestered on other stories about this story I can't help but get another small chapter out, though I will point out that such tactics are slowly turning me off this story entirely *hint*.
> 
> I promised that this chapter was going to include Artanis and Zeratul's big fight, but I want to make something more of the initial invasion of Aiur than there was in the game, primarily to explain why Amon didn't just 'infect' the Khala at any time and had to wait until the Protoss reached Aiur.
> 
> Also, I wanted to expand more on Selendis, Artanis and others before things went to shit. Selendis is very much just a bit-part character that is used as a villain and nothing else, if it weren't for the fact that I have a 'saving people' thing when it comes to my stories then I really wouldn't know enough about her to care. That is something that really could have been a good prelude to Amon's plans, if you had worked with Selendis for several missions first and then she had been corrupted.
> 
> Anyway, will see what people think of this and we can go from there.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Defias


	5. The Fall of Aiur

"Executor Selendis, the enemy have begun their assault just as you suspected in response to our probing attack on their largest hive, at least 5,000 small and medium sized Zerg are charging this way and the larger beasts are following close behind." The report from her airborne scout managed to break through the rather somber mood she had been in since the arrival of Zeratul on the mothership.

It was clear that her current assignment of holding a small section of their perimeter defences to the rear of the landing zones was a sign that Artanis was still displeased with her actions against friend Raynor and his allies, though given she had gone against his direct orders to do so the punishment was most lenient compared to what it could have been.

"Prepare the tempests and Colossi, they are to crush the enemy on my signal." Whilst she had been temporarily demoted Selendis still had access to the breadth of Protoss knowledge the invasion fleet had available, and Zeratul's warning about Aiur being a trap meant to weaken them by the Dark One was still ringing in her mind even now.

So, whilst she was usually one to advocate honourable attacking strategies, this was an opportunity not only to purge the zerg forces from Aiur's surface but a chance to prove herself to Artanis once more. As such she had instead adapted some of the strategies she had studied Jim Raynor using during the war against the Overmind, and whilst Terran defensive doctrine wasn't directly transferable to her forces it's implementation on the battlefield thus far had kept her casualties down below 10%. Looking at the reports coming in from neighbouring sectors, Selendis couldn't help but feel proud of herself when she found that many of the other commanders were suffering easily 3 or 4 times those losses and making less progress.

Rather than trying to attack the Zerg where they were strongest and overwhelm them, she had taken to sending probing attacks using Stalkers to destroy outlying hive structures and isolated pockets of resistance, the Zerg reacting like the beasts they were and lashing back out with steadily increasing intensity. It was then easy enough to draw these forces into ambushes amongst the canyons and passes that made up this particular area of Aiur, leaving her more conventional ground forces to assault and destroy the now depleted Lairs and hatcheries with remarkable ease.

"Executor, seismic scans indicate burrowing activity to our east, best estimates are at least 3 Nydus worms are at work, though given the large amount of Zerg air defences still covering this area it is impossible for us to get a more detailed scan without risking the loss of our scouting crews." That was new, either that or it showed a level of strategy behind the Zerg attacks that prior to the revelations the day before she would never have expected.

"Alert all nearby forces to the possibility of Nydus attack and prepare our strike force, clearing the last hive can wait until we have cleared more of the Zerg air defences and dealt with these worms, the last thing we want is the Zerg being able to attack our main forces from behind." The look of surprise on her communication officer's face was poorly masked to say the least, but Selendis didn't reprimand him as he turned back to the console to transmit the warning, such caution from anyone else would have prompted haughty disapproval from her after all.

But whereas she would have previously dismissed the Nydus as irrelevant in the large scale of things, the timing of their movement in line with the large zerg assault pointed to a potential attempt to entrap her ambushing forces.

"Prepare our zealots for transport to our ambush site via warp prism, I suspect that I know where those Nydus worms are going..." It would be cutting it close, but trying to warp the zealots into the area during combat would lead to large numbers of casualties before they could even draw their blades, and now she was boasting such an impressive operations stat she wanted to keep it that way.

[]{}#%^*+=

"Both Nydus Worms have been slain, it was exactly how you predicted Executor." The congratulatory tone in her staff member's voice did little to improve Selendis' mood, even as the reports of the last Zerg forces extermination began to filter into her ship's displays.

The Nydus worms had burrowed through to behind her ambushing Colossi, and contained enough ranged firepower in the form of hydralisks that if she hadn't moved her infantry forces preemptively then her ambush would most likely have failed entirely and she would have been lucky to hold back the onslaught of Zerg forces that would have broken through her defences. If it hadn't been for the humbling experiences she had suffered at Raynor's hands, as well as Kerrigan and her mixed forces, then her overconfidence in her strategies would have cost her and the Protoss invasion forces dearly.

"And the third Nydus Worm?" Still her pride had taken the hit instead of her brave warriors, so for that she would gladly bear the self-recrimination she would bring to bear on herself later, for now she had to finish her tasks on the battlefield.

"The Zerg forced our scouts to withdraw when the first Nydus surfaced, we lost contact with it and our new scans have been unable to detect its presence. I have already tried to notify our other forces, though High Templar Nemeax is still not responding. Should I notify the Hierarch?" Nemeax wasn't in charge of a section of the battlefield, instead he and his Templar comrades were working to ensure the areas that had already been cleared were scoured for possible relics or useful technology left behind in the aftermath of the Zerg invasion.

"No, we will investigate first and determine what has happened to our brothers." She didn't want Artanis distracted from heading the main prong of the invasion, though she also didn't want to risk a Zerg breakthrough in the middle of their supply lines.

Though for some reason, there was a feeling of unease she couldn't shake as she moved towards the void ray she would be personally be using to investigate Nemeax's disappearance, as if something dark and dangerous was watching their every move and only waiting to strike...

!"£$%^&*()_+

"You! No, that's not possible..." The baying cries of the awaking High Templar merely made Amon amused as he watched through the small opening to the void that his Hybrid had managed to sustain for this particular... event.

" _I wouldn't worry about what is impossible mortal, to me there is no such thing..."_ This one was stronger than the others he had already captured and spoken to, his mere presence had been enough to make a couple of them go insane from the mental pressure he exerted without even intending to.

"T-the Hierarch will stop you beast, y-you will die here along with all your little pets before the might of the Protoss!" The ant had courage, not that it understood the true reason for it's continued existence, but the continued attempts to contact it's kin through the joined conscious that they all used a crutch was becoming slightly irritating.

" _Oh, I hope that you brought the entire strength of your feeble race to this planet, that way it will be all the easier to use your beloved Khala to make you into the puppets you were always intended to be... Not that you will be there to see it of course, but your sacrifice will bring the entirety of this pointless cycle to it's fitting conclusion."_ And with that Amon _pushed_ himself out of the void into the now screaming High Templar, along with the comatose bodies of his comrades behind him.

Collecting so many High Templar in one place without expending a large number of his forces would have been nigh on impossible if the foolish insects hadn't been so determined to regain this pathetic speck of rubble and dirt that they called home. If it weren't for the fact that they would all soon become his mindless servants Amon would have wanted to thank them, controlling them to destroy the rest of the galaxy was so much easier than trying to destroy them as well...

!"£$%^&*()_+

"There's no sign of Nemeax or the rest of his forces Executor, it is clear that the Zerg have been here recently, but it is like they just vanished after taking out the High Templar here..." Selendis knew instantly that this was the sign that they had been looking for, the great enemy was obviously at work if the Zerg were acting so...organised.

"Prepare all of our defences for imminent assault and get out ground forces prepared." The sudden order obviously caught the reporting Templar by surprise, but he nodded in understanding and moved away to carry out her instruction without question, something that would have made Selendis proud of the discipline she had instilled in her troops if she didn't have a more pressing issue.

"Get me Zeratul, he will want to hear of this development..." The elder dark Templar would have to do as the first contact, Artanis would be surrounded by too many advisors and bodyguards for her to be able to communicate the threat to him subtly, and the threat of potential Tal'darim infiltrators was too high.

Even as her pilot voiced his understanding of her instruction and transferred the communications command to her terminal, Selendis suddenly felt a feeling she had never felt before, the entirety of the Khala beginning to _burn_ with a hatred that far outstripped that which she felt for anything she had ever encountered in her life, the feeling threatening to overwhelm her mind within moments despite her somewhat impressive mental defences that she had erected in the aftermath of her encounter with the Queen of Blades.

_Give into the hate, and let this cycle end..._

The thought, if that was what it really was, came unbidden to her mind and judging by the screams of her crew around her she wasn't the only one suffering from this psionic assault. Selendis managed to throw off the influence, though given the sudden re-doubling of the pressure in her mind as the rest of her crew fell silent it was clear that she had only bought herself moments at best.

Reaching out with trembling hands, Selendis activated her psy-blade as the now red-tinged eyes of the rest of her crew turned to her, the different eyes still managing to project the same malice and fury in her direction as her pilot spoke with the harsh and raking tone she had heard moments before.

" _So one of you manages to resist me, even your Hierarch is falling beneath my thrall and soon your entire fleet will be within my grasp. So, why struggle against the inevitable by yourself mortal? Allow me to bring you unending peace..."_ It was surprising how much those words hardened her failing resolve, and with a flash of her blade Selendis' mind was her own once more, eyes hardening as the crew around her ignited their own blades of bloody red...

"Because one Protoss is more than enough to sway any fight demon..." She had never used the Terran word before, but as the first of her possessed warriors rushed her with reckless abandon she realised there was no other word to describe the thing that now controlled so many of her kin.

Deflecting the strike with almost tragic ease, Selendis had to rein in her instincts to gut her subordinate with the number of openings he left for himself, instead flicking her secondary blade round to the back of his neck. It wasn't an easy move to pull off, if the zealot attacking her had been even slightly sensible in his attack it would have been almost impossible without risking injury of her own, but as he stumbled to the floor Selendis was pleased to see the redness corrupting his psionic aura was already diminishing.

" _And so the ant learns, not that it matters. How many more of your kind do you think I can throw at you? How many times can you avoid making a mistake?"_ Despite his speech, the Dark One seemed distracted by something, meaning that Selendis would be remiss to take advantage of his lapse in concentration.

"And yet, as the strings are cut, so do the puppets turn against their puppet master with renewed determination..." The line was from an old Protoss play that she had watched as a child, and seemed remarkably fitting as she cut her way through the rest of her small crew with remarkable ease, crossing blades with the most senior of her zealot escort as the malice returned to his one working eye with renewed vengeance.

" _This is the work of that damned shadow walker, not that it matters, the Hierarch may have escaped for the moment, but I will see the end of one of you at least..."_ As Kaldalis redoubled his efforts to throw her off balance, Selendis could hear the warning alarms as her ship detected the targeting sensors of those around her, her now freed crew rushing to man the ship's defences as she maintained the deadlock.

"Contact the Hierarch and get us to his location as soon as possible..." She had failed her Hierarch with this travesty once already, Tassadar be damned if she would let herself fail him again...

!"£$%^&*()_+

Numb, it was probably the best description that Artanis had for his feelings as he continued to lead his few remaining forces towards Kor-shakal, the emptiness inside of him leaving a hole that seemed to fester upon his every thought and emotion.

"Hierarch, we are almost at Kor-shakal, the scouting Zealots have found that the ruins are infested with Zerg forces as well as some of our...former brethren, but they don't seem to be defending the area explicitly... Are you alright Hierarch?" It was strange that the phase-smith could read him so well, but he supposed that Karax was probably the most used to dealing with things he couldn't bond with using the Khala, which so many of them had relied on for so long.

"I may have lead our race into enslavement, ignored the warnings of the Protoss I have called friend, mentor... brother, and in doing so made a mistake that it cost his life to correct..." Speaking about it seemed to help, even as he reached up to massage the still burning remnants of his nerve cords, one of the last gifts the grizzled Dark Templar had left him, a fresh wave of pain reminding him that he couldn't afford to wallow in grief and self-damnation.

_Thank you, old friend... En Taro Tassadar to you on your journey to the next life..._

"Hierarch, not one of us blames you for what happened here, if the enemies plan was truly to have us try to liberate Aiur then there was no way you could have stopped it. What matters now is that we reach the Spear of Adun and escape this place, then we can work on how to free our brothers." Artanis nodded in agreement, shaking off his dark emotions even as they cleared the tree line at the outskirts of the temple ruins.

If nothing else he could clear his mind killing the Zerg, and if he got the chance to free a few more of his brethren on the way then... What did friend Raynor say? Of course, 'there were worse ways to spend the afternoon'. Raynor had meant it regarding drinking that mildly poisonous liquid that all Terran's seemed to enjoy, but Artanis had to admit that the phrase fit here perfectly well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I couldn't do it... Zeratul's final fight was actually poetic enough that I couldn't physically bring myself to change it, which seems to be about a first for the SC universe.
> 
> So instead I impacted everything around it, from Artanis' reactions after the fight (Zeratul's death is going to impact far beyond what it seemed to in the game), to Selendis resisting Amon's influence long enough to free herself of his influence rather forcefully (I bet none of you saw the importance of Kerrigan psionically hijacking her mind in my original story did you?). Some people have commented that there are several loose ends in The Queen of Hearts that I didn't close... Mwahahaha, that is all I will say for now.
> 
> Let me know what you think as always Ladies and Gents
> 
> Defias Out!


	6. The Kor'shakal Deception

" **Die for the dark one!"**  The distorted voice of the last of the red infected Zealots, tinged with the psionic corruption of the once pure Khala connection that Amon had perverted to his own ends, made Artanis frown even as he ducked under the Zealot's clumsy strike and severed his nerve tendrils in an all too familiar action for the last few days

It had been... Difficult to secure Kor'shakal against the possessed members of his own strike force, the weight of numbers as well as the Zerg mixed in with their controlled comrades meant that they had been forced to cut them down in their dozens. Artanis had taken to the frontlines for this reason, as his skills meant that he was able to free many of the zealots he combatted personally, whilst his presence kept his forces from losing too much morale as they went blade to blade with their former comrades.

"Hierarch, I have located another group of dark Templar that have managed to avoid being overrun, though given Amon's increasing focus on this area it will not be long before they are discovered..." His presence on the battlefield did mean that he had left Karax in operational command, both because it was a suitable position for the phase smith and all combat capable Templar were currently on the field or resting after taking injuries.

"Send me their location Phase Smith, I will lead a recovery team to them when we get a respite in these attacks, any word from Executor Selendis?" It had been a surprising and slightly humbling experience to discover that his second in command was not only free but had managed to free herself and the majority of her command ship's crew by herself, a tale that he wished he had time to discern from her in greater detail but was something that would have to wait.

"She managed to break through the blockade without serious damage, her last message was that she was warping to go warn Friend Raynor of the threat as you instructed, though she did not give any hints as to where that destination would be..." Good, it seemed that, despite her repeated and vocal abuse she levelled at the other races, Selendis was obviously learning from her recent losses far more than her earlier victories on the path to becoming executor.

Amon was providing enough psionic interference that they couldn't try and communicate out of Aiur's planetary system, but just because he was not stopping their other communications didn't mean he wasn't listening in on them as they discussed these type of things. If Selendis knew, or more likely guessed, where she would find Raynor and his men then keeping Amon in the dark was more important than giving them a location to follow up once they had activated the Spear of Adun.

It was also for counterintelligence purposes that the majority of their forces believed that they needed to activate all five power cells in order to activate the Spear of Adun, if Amon was anything close to the level of overconfident that he liked to portray with his gloating then he would wait until they were on the last stretch of their mission before unleashing the full force of his army to crush them.

They actually only needed three of the power cells to activate the Spear of Adun, the other two were merely back up auxiliary nodes in case one of the other nodes became damaged, though only he and Karax knew that. His aim was still to free all five of the power nodes if he could as that would prevent Amon from working out that they had played him as well as giving them the opportunity to phase the other two power cells aboard for later use, but if it came down to maintaining the charade or saving his men then Artanis knew which choice he would make.

"Hierarch, another wave of zerg is inbound, almost twice as many as there were last time, but there aren't any Protoss signatures amongst them. Amon is probably saving up his forces for when we make our move towards the last power cell to make our task that much harder, not that he needs to put much effort in to achieve that." Exactly as Artanis had expected, but the Zerg would encounter very stiff resistance in the form of photon cannons and shield batteries, given how few of his brothers he had been able to free from Amon's control it had been necessary to rely on static defences more than he was used to.

"Very well Phase-smith, I will head for the remaining Dark Templar now and ensure their rescue before moving onto the fourth power cell with my Templar forces, I will leave the rest to you..." The rest consisted of a very bold plan that the phase smith had suggested when he had discussed his thoughts of Amon's plan to crush them on the last power cell, Artanis only hoped that the Dark Templar would be able to pull it off without alerting the Dark God to their intentions...

!"£$%^&*()_+

Amon gave off a dark laugh as he watched the Hierarch incapacitated the last of his minions defending the fourth power cell, even with the Hierarch accompanying them they had been forced to cut down 7 of their former brothers in arms, and it was clear that these deaths were affecting them more than he had originally anticipated. It was almost a shame that he wouldn't be able to drag this out any longer, the thought of crushing the will of their pathetic resistance so thoroughly filled him with the sort of glee that he had only previously felt when he had broken through the last of the defences his 'brethren' had constructed around their final haven.

But, he had a galaxy to conquer and many more insects to 'educate' into following his new path, and he knew better than to get complacent with his power after what had happened to poor Narud, whilst he was immortal he didn't want to spend a century or two reforming in the Void once more if something went wrong, especially when that pesky Executor managed to escape the system whilst he was consolidating his control over his shiny new puppets.

" _ **You have fought hard for those who know that they are doomed Hierarch, but I tire of this game. Prepare to embrace an eternity of nothingness..."**_ His voice boomed from the minds of millions of his minions, a single voice that managed to exert enough force to make those not under his thrall stumble for a moment.

With his message delivered, Amon reached out and touched the uncountable number of his forces that he had laying in wait for this moment.

' _Crush all those that would oppose my will, then bring me the Hierarch alive...'_ The accursed Zeratul had caused quite the hiccup with his actions in freeing Artanis, and the Dark Templar had gotten away with a quick and relatively painless death, but Amon was perfectly fine with making the Prelate's protege suffer in the deceased's place for the extra effort he was having to put into what should have been a perfect trap.

As powerful as he was Amon was not prepared to try and co-ordinate the minds of so many beings to the point where they would be an effective force, the level of concentration that would require wasn't beyond him as such, but with the scales so tipped in his favour it was something that he didn't feel he needed to bother with quite yet. So instead his power merely suppressed any attempts to break his hold over those he was 'possessing' whilst maintaining or forging a chain of command to those higher in either the Zerg or Protoss armies, the web working it's way up until it either reached the top level of command or one of his Hybrids.

This meant that he only had to expand his control over these few mortals, any instructions or commands he gave them would then be quickly disseminated throughout his forces and enacted. It had taken 'some' time and lives to perfect to the stage he had it now, but Amon had always been one to look at the larger picture. Sitting back for a moment as he 'observed' the reports feeding into his commanders, Amon was surprised when the reports showed Artanis was pulling his forces back towards his base, given the threat of overwhelming devastation he was about to unleash Amon had suspected an admittedly desperate attempt to rush the last power cell.

Did the Hierarch really think he could weather the storm that was coming? No amount of base defences would be sufficient and he had the entirety of Aiur's Zerg population as well as the Hierarch's precious fleet if needed, though he intended to utilise the Golden Armada as a failsafe in case the Tal'darim tried something stupid like betraying him.

It was only as alarms began to sound on the tactical array of the Protoss executor he was controlling that Amon realised he had missed something, focusing he found reports coming in from troops around the fifth power cell before they suddenly cut off and automated reports of buildings being destroyed arriving a moment later.

He should be angry, that was what his mind was telling him as Amon focused his will on one of his few surviving forces in the area, the Zealot glowing with his power as it charged towards the power cell. But, as he arrived just in time to see the power cell warp away along with the Dark Templar that had completed this surprise assault, Amon found himself smiling instead.

" **Delightful, I may have to pay attention to these battles going forward..."** Even as the first wave of his forces hit the Protoss defensive line Amon knew it was too late to stop them from escaping, a quick scan of his minions perspectives showed that the defences were almost entirely autonomous, meaning that Artanis had already started transporting his troops onto the Spear of Adun in preparation for this event.

It wouldn't stop his forces trying as that had been his command of course, but as he withdrew his power from his temporary host Amon let the feeling of his amusement radiate outwards in a way he knew Artanis would detect, no point in letting the enemy think he hadn't  _let_  them escape this time.

After all, he didn't want his return to the galactic stage to be  _boring_  after all...

[]{}#%^*+=

"Warp signature detected Commander, only a single ship from the readings, but definitely Protoss in origin. What are your orders?" Jim looked up at the announcement but couldn't say that he was particularly surprised, the message that Zeratul had passed onto him about Artanis' ploy inside their own plans had prepared him for such an event, which was why the Hyperion was already on high alert and he and Matt were running shifts to maintain an unbroken chain of command.

"Get the crew ready for a fight just in case they turn out to be hostile, but I want all other ships out of sensor range by the time whatever it is arrives, no need to risk any surprises being revealed early..." Horizon and therefore the Raider's base was a secret to even the Dominion military, only Emperor Valerian and General Warfield knew the location and every time the General visited them as the official liaison between the New Dominion and the Raiders his battlecruisers systems were wiped of any navigational data that could have been leaked upon their return to Dominion space.

That didn't mean the information couldn't have leaked of course, his men were only human after all and many of them had family that they visited when on shore leave, but those who were gathered at Haven were mostly his elite forces that had been with him since the start of the rebellion, meaning that they knew everything he knew about the threat that faced them. The threat of galactic genocide tended to be a good method of keeping operational secrecy even after a year, and most of the new recruits who didn't know that never got to Haven anyway.

"Shall I notify Admiral Stukov in case this is the start of an invasion fleet?" One of the measures Sarah had insisted on, before she went off to eliminate as many of Amon's minions as possible, was that the Zerg maintain a presence near Horizon in case Amon discovered its location.

The former UED vice admiral had been a readily agreed choice, despite serving on opposite sides during the Brood wars Raynor hadn't anything against the man, and like Lassara after the removal of her tendrils Stukov had definitely benefitted from having the opportunity to actual socialise rather than work the entire time. He had hit off remarkably well with Ariel of all people, the two working together to hybridise Zerg evolution with Terran technology to the point that the admiral's forces were considered to be a potential trump card in the upcoming war.

"Yes, and get Warfield on the line, I have a bad feeling about this and if I'm right Valerian will need to be the first to know." Despite his injuries that he sustained in his admittedly stubborn last stand against Sarah on Char, Warfield had rather stubbornly refused to retire  _again_ when they finally took Mengsk down, though he was confined to a hover chair for anything beyond short walks now.

Valerian had assigned him the post of liaison out of respect but also pity, to allow him to feel useful even if he couldn't contribute to the battlefield anymore, and though it was clear Warfield knew it he wasn't so proud as to refuse the man he had just helped make Emperor.

"I thought this diplomatic liaison thing was meant to be a cushy retirement job, that wouldn't involved getting woken up in the middle of the night for the second time in three days." But even if he didn't refuse the job, the old man liked to complain about it at every opportunity, the audio coming through several seconds before Warfield's face appeared on one of the screens in front of Raynor.

"We have a Protoss warp signature coming in with no hails or communications prior, which given that I can only think of maybe half a dozen Protoss who know about Haven means it's probably Zeratul, which means that big and bad is making his move. If that's the case I need you to take word to Valerian as fast as you can, I have no doubt he will be amongst Amon's first targets, so the sooner he is warned the better."

He could have tried to directly communicate with the Emperor, but even with all the fame and accolades that came with what Raynor had done over the last twenty years he would have to go through at least half a dozen channels to have a hope of getting directly in touch with the young leader. It was something that would hopefully calm down in a few years, but worryingly for now it was quicker to actually send Warfield in person.

"And you want me to be the one to go tell him so that if things go to hell you can still show up at the last minute to save the day?" It was a dig at what many Dominion new stations called his 'White Knight' image, and given the number of times he had somehow ended up in the right place at the exact moment that was needed to ensure he could save the day Jim couldn't even refute it effectively.

"Something like that, though we better make sure before we get everyone worked up over this, Zeratul could have been wrong after all." But even as he said it Jim knew that was all but impossible, after all what his own forces had found on Aiur had been a clear sign that Amon was planning something big there, and what Kerrigan had been forced to fight whilst rescuing those stranded Protoss from the Tal'darim merely reinforced this.

"Warp signature inbound in 3, 2... There she is, readout coming in now Commander." Even as the results of the first scans came into the command display, Jim knew that it wasn't the  _Void Seeker_ as he had first presumed, which given how much the old Protoss loved that ship meant it wasn't Zeratul who had come here.

It was a larger than normal variant of a Protoss Void Ray, and given the heavy battle damage it's outer hull had clearly suffered it clearly wasn't here for a fight, or at least it wasn't here for one it thought it could win. In fact, judging by the vastly reduced and dwindling power levels they were picking up it was amazing the ship had managed to warp here in the first place.

"Attempt to hail then and get emergency crews ready to support, that ship looks a solar breeze away from falling apart." Like a well oiled machine his bridge crew carried out his spoken and unspoken instructions, moving the Hyperion on an intercept course with the now drifting vessel.

Given Zeratul's warning from the day before, the arrival of a single badly damaged ship did not bode well for the success of Artanis' grand plan...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So it happens the same, yet at the same time it doesn't, with a lot more focus on Artanis' lack of men during the Korshakal mission as well as showing a little more deception and strategy from both sides. Just as Amon has been working in the shadows to ready his pieces, Raynor and Kerrigan have been doing the same in a frantic attempt to level the playing field without letting Amon know.
> 
> Next chapter we look at Kerrigan and how she deals with the fall out of Amon's aggressive leadership change, as well as the first moves in the war from both sides. Peace out all!


	7. The Council of War

"The last of my forces confirm they have severed their nerve cords Kerrigan, we are ready to return to the fight..." The exhausted voice of Praetor Talis in her mind was a quite literal weight off Kerrigan's mental shoulders, moving from her kneeling position for the first time in what felt like days.

"Not today Praetor, the longer we fight here the longer we risk the Golden Armada coming down on our heads, the Tal'darim are quite enough."

Reaching out with her mind, Kerrigan focussed on the signatures of Nafash and the the other three brood mothers that had been aiding her, passing along the instruction to withdraw their power from the barrier they had created. It was only thanks to the messages she had received from Zeratul, via Jim, that Kerrigan had been even remotely prepared for Amon's assault.

"Captain Mendez, alert all Rifle ships to initiate jump protocols, the Leviathans will form the rear guard against the Tal'darim and the other enemies." She had managed to sense it, as the wave of rage fuelled psionics approached the system they had been in, given the strength of the wave she had called up a psionic barrier around her fleet in the precious minutes she had of forewarning before it hit them.

The force was unrelenting as the wave hit, making her feel like they were in the middle of storm as the hate battered again and again against her shield, requiring her to focus all of her attention in maintaining the thin shell of reality that prevented the energy from sweeping in. Even with the help from the other psionic Zerg leaders it had been an ordeal, so she had seconded command of the fleet to Izsha so that she commit her full attention.

"Understood Kerrigan, Templar losses at three carriers and easily 10 support vessels, hard to keep track with all the chaos ongoing here but it definitely could be worse..." The sudden assault by the Protoss ships that hadn't gotten inside her shield was an unwelcome surprise, but given they were targeting Zerg and other Protoss making up her ramshackle armada indiscriminately she wasn't too concerned about Praetor Talis' men all turning traitor on her.

But even the small number of ships overwhelmed by the psionic attack were enough, allowing Amon to determine where the system they were regrouping in was, and the Tal'darim scouting units were upon them even as they fought to reclaim the Protoss vessels. Between maintaining the shield, to allow the unaffected Protoss to separate themselves and their cyborg immortals and Dragoons from the Khala, and fending off the attacks the strain would have caused disarray in the Swarm only a year ago.

"Pull all fighter level ships inside the shield or back onto the leviathans... Brace the others for impact in 3,2, NOW!" Kerrigan had not spent her time wastefully however, given the gulf of power between herself and Amon she could not afford to be splitting her attention between using her abilities in combat and commanding the swarm.

Every strike against a Moebius base, or a rogue Queen that they suspected would fall under Amon's influence, was treated as a training exercise for her commanders. Her Rifles and the Zerg were made to work together to enforce co-operation and mixed group tactics, whilst she focused almost her entire attention on enhancing her psionic abilities.

This meant in the ten seconds since she gave the order, instructions had been transmitted across the battlefield with almost robotic efficiency and all human fighters had moved to take cover. Some Mutalisks and corrupters remained in space to ensnare the Tal'darim forces, meaning they were caught by surprise when her shield exploded outwards. Compared to whatever power Amon had unleashed in order to take control of the Protoss it was like a raindrop upon a whirlpool, but it was still strong enough to wipe out every scout and phoenix away from the protection of the Tal'darim ships of the line.

Many of the Void Rays and Carriers were protected by their shields as the wave washed over them, though those that had been damaged by her fleet's firepower and were therefore without that extra level of protection were crippled or worse as the psionic energy obliterated metal and flesh in equal measure.

It was only a small respite, as Kerrigan could feel further Protoss signatures warping into the battlefield in slowly increasing numbers, but it was enough.

" _All forces, warp to emergency point Alpha now."_ Kerrigan smiled as the somewhat ragtag mix of Terran, Protoss and Zerg ships departed with almost robotic precision, the capital ships providing cover for the lighter ships as the Tal'darim frantically launched more fighters in an attempt to delay them from escaping.

"They will try and lock onto our signatures to follow us, do we want to try and draw them away from the fleet?" Mendez' question showed that, despite the time she had spent with Sarah and the Zerg as they dethroned Mengsk, the medic had kept her desire to protect others by throwing herself in the forefront of the fight.

"If they do then they will be walking right into our trap, or that's what they will think if their commander is even remotely competent. So either they will be intelligent and cautious, which means that they won't chase us fast enough, or they will be so fanatically blinded to please the dark bastard that we can outsmart them when they do come charging after us. We will find out in a minute..." As the last of her fleet warped out of the fight, Kerrigan could sense the frustration of the Tal'darim Commander and entertained the idea of cutting the head off this particular snake psionically, the confusion such an assassination would cause would definitely disrupt the pursuit.

But if she revealed such a skill now, at the beginning of what would undoubtedly be a long and drawn out war, then even Amon's minions could learn to better protect their commanders in future or plan a trap for her. Better to save it for a far more deserving target, or when she truly needed to end a battle quickly.

There were several tense minutes as the fleet adopted defensive formations as the Terran warp drives cooled and reset, but there was no sign of any form of pursuit from their erstwhile attackers, and as the Battlecruisers reported in that they were ready for another warp jump Sarah let herself relax and start planning their next move.

"Felicity, send a signal to Warfield, if Jim isn't aware already he will need to know that Amon has made his move." Whilst she could contact Jim psionically, maintaining the shield had strained even her psionic reserves, so the conventional method of communication would have to suffice for now.

"Izsha, warn the other fleets and give me an update on our ground forces, now Amon is out in the open he won't waste time being subtle anymore." Which meant the full might of his forces, both Hybrid and more conventional, would be striking at their strongholds and production facilities with the aim of crippling them before the war could truly begin.

A shame then, she thought with a confident smirk as she took in the reports from Izsha's other bodies as a mental image of what was being thrown at them was laid before her, that Amon was basing his attacks on what she had  _allowed_  his spies to see and report back to him. Two of the returning broodmothers, who had arrived after she had killed Mengsk, had been under his subtle sway.

If she hadn't been so exposed to his energies during their many conflicts she might have missed the subtle brainwashing, but thanks to this knowledge they had been able to 'control' what the two had seen and therefore would have passed on to the dark 'god'. Now she just had to try and preempt when they would turn on her, so that she could minimise her losses whilst pretending not to have known they were traitors.

She didn't want to give up such an important trump card so soon after all...

!"£$%^&*()_+

"This is it everyone." It was a nice experience, in the most convoluted way Jim could imagine, to be standing at the head of the Hyperion's strategy table looking around at the mixture of people and holograms that were arrayed in front of him.

For once, he wasn't alone, or one of the few as the shit started to hit the fan. Sure, there were the likes of Matt and the rest of his core raider command team who had been with him from nearly the beginning, but it was probably the first time he was leading a group that had two of the most powerful people in the sector in their midst.

"Is this the part where you give one of your inspiring speeches Jim? Given the last time I heard one of them was on Tarsonis, we may want to give it a miss..." Kerrigan's smirking face made it clear she was trying to lighten the mood, even if the poignant reminder pained Raynor more than he'd have thought it would.

"As much as I want to stick around for another one of the two of you's legendary 'fights', I'm sure Matt still has some of my 'emergency popcorn' around here somewhere, reports are already coming in of ships appearing on the edge of Korhal's system. And, given their numbers, they probably aren't friendlies..." Becoming Emperor had been good for Valerian's backbone if nothing else, the man stood confidently in the new Raider armour his father would have killed him for in an instant.

"No speech, no fights, I think the time is passed for both of those. With Amon finally making his move though, I thought it best that we ensure that all of us are working with the same information." And more importantly, to reveal the latest member of their ' _Ragtag Group of Renegades'_  as Arcturus used to call them, though this one would be more contentious than most.

Limping forth from behind him, the pair of them along with Matt having discussed how best to approach this in advance, Selendis drew several sharp noises as she came fully into view. Some of these were no doubt from her appearance, the escape from Aiur's having left its mark in both wounds and marks that Selendis insisted remained untreated, the Protoss Executor still cautious of the new technology they had been developing as Protoss first aid.

"The Golden Armada has fallen into Amon's hands, along with almost 80% of the overall Aiur High Templar forces. The Hierarch has been freed from Amon's control, though it cost Prelate Zeratul his life to achieve this. Estimates were hazy when we left Aiur to contact you friend Raynor, but at least 60% of the Dark Templar forces supporting the invasion were overcome in the first hours of Amon's attack and the confusion that followed."

The blunt and poignant words visibly rocked the assembled commanders, whilst something of such a scale had been considered in various ways, it had never involved Amon wresting control of the High Templar forces so effortlessly.

"We encountered a similar effect after we rescued a group of Protoss from the Tal'darim, given the size and the strength of the wave that hit us, it is probably safe for us to assume that every High Templar Protoss in the sector has been compromised. I assume it has something to do with that shared connection your kind have, that you used to try and hunt Lassara down after we took down Mengsk?" Kerrigan's eyes were cold as she crossed her arms at the end of her contribution.

Despite the fact she was no longer the vengeful monster many of the High Templar believed her to be, she was  _very_ protective of those she considered her own. Before Selendis could respond, Lassara spoke up from her own connection, the Protoss scientist having been on Kaldir when the attack occurred, working with the colonists there.

"Infiltrating the Khala would certainly allow Amon access to the minds of every Protoss still connected with their nerve cords, though such a connection could not have been achieved through even a dozen Protoss minds, such a strong attack would have burned out their connection before Amon would have been able to access the Khala. Thankfully all of the colonists here had their nerve cords removed after the first death squads came for me, they didn't want to take the chance that they would be the next targets." So that gave them several thousand High Templar Protoss that were unaffected by the attack at least, though most of them were civilians, and those that weren't would be relegated to defensive operations for the most part.

Jim was about to try and focus the discussion back towards their next steps, but to his surprise Selendis spoke up once more without any prompting. This was considerable progress, compared to the very stilted initial conversation they had, when his rescue crews had brought her and her remaining crew members aboard.

"I think I know how it was done, a large Zerg attack attempted to destabilise our rear defences during the second cycle of the invasion. The main attack, including a pair of Nydus worms that attempted to ambush our defences were rebuked, but a third Nydus passed through our lines in the confusion. After a... Confrontation I had with Prelate Zeratul and the Hierarch the day of the invasion, I was made aware of the risks involved with Amon, so such complex strategies from supposedly feral Zerg made me suspicious." Selendis paused for a moment, obviously trying to consider her words carefully before continuing.

"Upon investigation after the initial threat was dealt with, my forces found that a large group of our High Templar had disappeared from a mustering area where they were charged with heading the reclamation process. Amon must have moved quickly to take control of these High Templar, as the wave hit us less than a minute after I tried to alert Zeratul and the Hierarch." Which meant the Dark One  _had_  wanted the Protoss on Aiur, or at least had considered it as one of his plans, meaning Artanis had been right on the money with his scheme.

"And if this occurred whilst you were on Aiur, how did you manage to escape Amon's clutches Executor?" Lasarra's tone was almost as cold as Kerrigan's had been when they confronted Mengsk for the last time, even as she asked the question that most of the room were undoubtedly wanting the answer for as well.

"Thanks to the actions of the Qu… General Kerrigan actually." The revelation raised more than one eyebrow, but Kerrigan's shift in expression to surprise and disbelief was the best, at least to Jim's experienced eyes.

"When General Kerrigan forced me into an Astral projection during our last encounter, it showed me how deficient my mental defences were, in comparison to some of the enemies I expected to encounter. I have spent every day since then doing my best to enhance them, and they bought me the precious seconds I needed when the attack struck, though I think it was only due to Prelate Zeratul's sacrifice that Amon's attention was elsewhere for that short period of time. Of course, I will happily subject myself to full psionic screening to be sure of that fact, the last thing I want is some fraction of that  _thing's_ power sat in my head waiting to strike."

The offer, as well as the news that it had been something that Kerrigan didn't even consider as an important action that had effectively 'saved' the Executor, made it clear that Selendis was deadly serious about her desire to prove herself free of corruption. Obviously the failure of the Aiur invasion, and the fact that she now needed to consort with so many of those she had once thought bitter enemies, had done some serious damage to her perception of Protoss superiority.

"The General can scan her later, though I am glad I listened to you Friend Raynor, when you advised my people to depart our Home World prior to the Golden Armada's Invasion. I have no doubt that those who did not listen to you are now lost. The question is, where will the Dark One strike next?" The words of Graneus, the Immortal leader of the Aiur survivors who Kerrigan had encountered during her return to Aiur, brought the attention off the rather sullen Executor and back to the most important matter facing them.

"Given the massing of ships at the edge of Korhal, it is obvious that Amon will strike there soon enough, probably with his Moebius fanatics. What remains of them at least." Whilst the Tal'darim and the corrupted Zerg were not attackable targets, lest they committed Amon to the war earlier than they were prepared for, the crushing of the Moebius Foundation wherever it was found was far easier to carry out without risk.

Emperor Valerian was just securing his new throne after all, and given the number of pirate forces and Kel-Morian outlaws they had hunted down as well, it wasn't as if they had singled Amon's followers out. Whilst Jim didn't think they had destroyed anything near all of Amon's Terran forces, it was still a lot better than if they hadn't done anything at all.

"I will take the Hyperion, along with the Raider's 1st and 2nd task force, and head for Korhal. Amon will expect us to concentrate our forces there, so it would be rude to do anything different. Emperor, I assume that will be sufficient to allow you to keep your fleets from withdrawing to the Core Worlds for now?" Whilst Jim could have let the Dominion Fleets withdraw to the Core Worlds, the appearance of the Raider's at Korhal would hopefully keep Amon's focus on that front in a single place. Admiral Ryker."

The former Dominion Captain had changed a lot since she had defected to Sarah's forces two years before. Having been treated for her injuries, under the tender mercies of Ariel and Abathur, the woman was now a fully revitalised and motivated leader of the Rangers/Rifles 1st combined Fleet. She now commanded the  _Moros_  as her flagship, the former prison ship now fully repurposed as a warship and quite possibly the most powerful ship in the Sector, unless Amon had some big surprises waiting to come their way.

"Yes Marshal?" She retained her professionalism though, referring to him by the only official rank he had ever held, despite repeated efforts of the Dominion Bureaucracy to bring him into their military fold.

"You will combine forces with as many of the Blades that Kerrigan can spare, along with whatever Templar Kaldir and Graneus can supply. Amon will not just be trying to overwhelm us in one or two areas, he will try and use his new Templar forces to overwhelm us as a swarm. That means he will be sending out death fleets and patrols of controlled Protoss, to take out fringe colonies and refugees, and in doing so spread terror." Jim pointed at areas that he felt were likely targets, colonies and planets on the edges of Protoss controlled space.

"If they are controlled Protoss forces, deploy jammers to prevent them alerting their overlord, and then board and capture as many ships and men as you can. It will be costly, but the more forces we can rescue in the short term, the better our chances going forward." It was a gambit, that they would be able to rescue more forces with such tactics than they would lose.

"I will accompany those forces with my men, if you will have me Admiral." Selendis' offer, even if the respectful ending sounded a little like an afterthought, made Jim smile as he turned to Sarah.

"I don't presume to order you around Darling, but that's my plan for the Raider forces. Dr Hansen and the IS will remain with the 3rd Task Force and the Old Boys on Haven, always good to have a back up force in case Amon decides not to go quietly…" It was something the two of them had struggled with at first even after reigniting their rocky relationship, two personalities used to leading without questions would always end up in conflict.

But the stubbornness that caused them so many issues also had allowed them to move past these issues, and come to a compromise that both of them could work with, each of them controlling their respective factions within the Alliance as segmented command structures. It didn't work perfectly, and Jim knew there would be times where people on the ground would have to choose whose orders to listen to, but it was the best they had for now.

"If only we would be so lucky. The majority of my Zerg forces are now withdrawing from their combat zones, only Dehaka's force on Mar Sara will remain to keep the Primal happy. I will keep one of my smaller fleets in orbit, just in case Amon does try and overwhelm the Primals, but otherwise most of my forces will be focussed on this…" With a nod to someone off screen, probably Felicity as she wasn't one of the holograms to have joined them, Kerrigan gestured when the map screen changed to an image of… well Jim wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing.

"It is a massive space structure, that reeks of the same energy that Amon emits whenever he is manifesting himself from the Void. This means it is probably a staging point of his, or worse given the efforts that were put to trying to hide it. My scouting forces are reporting high concentrations of Hybrid and corrupted Zerg, unlike anything we have seen in the war so far other than when we took out Narud. So I will lead my forces personally, either we tie up these Hybrid, which will weaken Amon's strike power, or we secure the base entirely. Until the Dark Bastard actually shows himself, it's a good way to kill some time if nothing else." It made sense, and Jim was glad that at least they had found this base  _before_  Amon could do whatever he had planned with it.

The last thing he needed was the Dark One gaining another advantage…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ah, poor Jim, if only we knew what that 'hidden base' actually was… :P
> 
> As you can see, some events are remaining similar to canon, whilst others begin to diverge greatly. Kerrigan and Jim will still be where they need to be for canon events, but both have additional support, troops and abilities that Amon is unaware of right now.
> 
> Nothing on Artanis or the High Templar, simply because I have to decide what order I want to follow Canon events now. Any preferences people?
> 
> On a more serious note, I have to offer an apology now. I have recently bought a house, which all of a sudden means I have suddenly got to worry about this whole 'being an adult and managing my budget' thing. I know I don't post regularly, but this is me letting you guys know that that rate is going to drop significantly going forward.
> 
> I did set up P a treon account, but I don't think what I offer on here is going to be worth people spending money on. Though, if you want to check it out, it is the same username as I use here. Perhaps I am being overly pessimistic.
> 
> I have muscled through all of my working stories to provide you with a new chapter for each of them, I hope you all enjoy them, and apologies for the bad news.
> 
> Defias


End file.
